MARGAO: Major drama unfolded on Thursday morning after locals from Benaulim expressed outrage that trucks carrying unsegregated waste from the jurisdiction of the Margao Municipal Council (MMC) had been dumped in their village, in the low-lying area where the Western Bypass is being constructed.
Cana-Benaulim Sarpanch Xavier Pereira accompanied by panch members and local activists as well as MLA Venzy Viegas had rushed to the site where Colva police were also called.
When it was discovered that the trucks were engaged by MMC, Viegas spoke to Margao MLA Digambar Kamat as well as the MMC Chairperson, Chief Officer (CO) and the Executive Engineer (EE) of the PWD.
While the PWD Executive Engineer said no permission had been given for dumping of such waste on the bypass route, MMC CO Gaurish Shankhwalkar, gave an assurance that the waste would be removed from the site. The CO has been asked to attend a meeting at 4.30 pm on Monday, at the office of the Benaulim panchayat, to discuss the matter.
Sarpanch Pereira said the panchayat would be filing a complaint with the Colva police and said all types of waste, including scrap material, had been dumped in the fields of the village adjoining the bypass site.
He said this act shows the scant respect of the authorities towards the village and said the PWD would have definitely known that such a massive quanitity of garbage is being dumped near the under-construction bypass site. “PWD officials cannot claim ignorance over the matter,” he said.
The Sarpanch also came down heavily on the MMC for allowing such a misdeed.
He urged the authorities like the Goa State Pollution Control Board or the courts to take notice and take action against such
While speaking to media persons, the MMC CO said the Chairperson had given instructions to remove waste from the site.
Earlier, Viegas mocked the Chairperson for first trying to suggest that mud could be dumped over the discarded waste and reiterated that the waste had to be removed from the site.
Locals added that this brazen waste dumping had added insult to injury given that the government had ignored their repeated pleas for the bypass stretch in Benaulim to be built on stilts and not via embankments, as is being done presently.
